Ventilating ceiling



June 14, 1966 J. w. GLASER VENTILATING CEILING 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 25. 1963 m N W m JAME W. GLASER mizlwlpy gb m I ATTORNEYS June 14, 1966 J. w. GLASER VENTILATING CEILING INVENTOR.

JAME w. GLASER fe' mmdfy ATTORNEYS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 WW g Filed July 25. 1963 tained in each area.

United States Patent 3,255,687 VENTILATING CEILING Jame W. Glaser, Chagrin Falls, Ohio, assignor to The E. F. Hauserman Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Filed July 25, 1963, Ser. No. 297,533

Claims. (Cl. 9840) This invention relates generally as indicated to a ventilating ceiling and more particularly to an acoustical ceiling panel construction providing self-contained control for air flow distribution uniformly through the entire panel.

Perforated ceiling panels have heretofore widely been used in acoustical ceilings for the purpose of providing forced air ventilation. Air distribution must generally be controlled in the air supply duct system and this becomes quite involved where a building is divided into many small areas. Where movable partitions are employed, it is required to remove areas of the ceiling panels to adjust duct dampers or add ducts and each job must be independently engineered so that thep roper air flow is ob- Rooms of different size andlocation may, of course, require differing amounts of air and distribution of such air properly to be ventilated. Moreover, sound attenuation can be a problem because of uncontrolled air flow through the ceiling.

It is accordingly a principal object of the present invention to provide an acoustical ceiling construction having air flow therethrough which can locally uniformly be controlled.

Another principal object is the provision of a panel unit for ventilating ceilings having self-contained control of air flow distribution uniformly through the entire panel.

A further principal object is the provision of an entire ceiling'of identical units which can be installed above a plurality of separate areas facilitating the balancing of the air conditioning system in each area from below.

A further object is the provision of a ventilating ceiling which will minimize duct work and controls therein.

A still further object is the provision of a ventilating ceiling which can be employed readily with movable partitions so that when the partitions are moved revising the partitioned areas, the ventilation in such areas can be balanced without removing ceiling panels.

Yet another object is the provision of a ventilating ceiling providing localized yet complete control of the air flow therethrough.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the invention, then, comprises the features here- I inafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims, the following description and the annexed drawings setting forth in detail a certain illustrative embodiment of the invention, this being indicative, however, of but one of the various ways in which the principle of the invention may be employed.

In said annexed drawings:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary cross-section view through the upper portion of a room provided with a ventilating ceiling in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view broken away and in section of a ceiling panel of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary detailed sectional view of the ventilating ceiling taken substantially on the line 3--3 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a similar detailed sectional view taken substantially on the line 44 of FIG. 2.

Referring now to the annexed drawings and more paring for a large room enclosure 1 which comprises a plurality of perforated panels 2 of rectangular configuration supported at the peripheries thereof by T-runners 3 which are in turn supported by hangers 4 suspending the ventilating ceiling panels from the unfinished ceiling 5 of the large room enclosure 1. An air duct 6 above the ventilating ceiling supplies air under pressure to the large plenum chamber 7 formed between the ventilating ceiling panels 2 and the unfinished ceiling 5. Controlled air flow is then obtained through the ceiling panels 2 into the space beneath the ceiling of the room enclosure 1 in a manner hereinafter described. Interior movable partitions 8 may be situated beneath the ceiling to divide the larger room enclosure 1 into smaller areas 9 and 10. Thus the ventilating air supplied through the duct 6 to the plenum chamber 7 will pass through the ventilating ceiling panels 2 into the room enclosures 9 and 10.

Referring now more particularly to FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, it will be seen that the ceiling panels 2 each comprise a metallic pan of relatively thin gauge, e.g., 26, having upturned peripheral sides 12, 13, 14 and 15 with the corners between the fiat bottom 16 of the pan and the side walls 12 through 15 being beveled asindicated at 17. Each of the side walls 12 through- 15 is provided with an inwardly directed bead as shown at 18. As indicated in FIG. 3, these inwardly directed beads on the walls of the panels 2 cooperate with beads on the walls of adjacent panels to form peripheral bulbs which are latchingly engaged between the sinuously rebent portions 19 and 20 of the legs 21 and 22 respectively of the T-runners 3. The legs are bent back upon themselves to form laterally extending flanges 24 and 25 to which the hangers 4 may be secured to support the ventilating ceiling. The ceiling panels 2 are thus latchingly suspended from the T-runners 3 and may readily be removed due to the resiliency of the T-runner legs 21 and 22. The bottom 16 of the panel 2 is provided with aplurality of small circular openings across the center of the bottom 16 of the panel 2 is an ticularly to FIG. 1, there is illustrated a ventilating ceilinverted V-shape ridge 31. This ridge 31 serves as a guide track for a mating ridge 32 in damper panel 33.

'The damper panel 33 is provided with apertures 34 of the .exact size and arrangement of the apertures 3%) in the panel bottom 16.

As shown more clearly in FIGS. 2 and 3, each of the apertures 34 in the damper panel 33 is aligned with a corresponding aperture 30 in the bottom 16 of the panel 2 in a direction parallel to the mating ridges 31 and 32. Accordingly, movement of the damper panel in the direction of the ridges 31 and 32 will either vertically align or vertically offset the corresponding apertures 30 and 34. The damper panel 33 extends in the plane of FIG. 3 to the bevels 17, but in the plane of FIG. 4 or parallel to the ridges 31 and 32, the damper panel is slightly shorter than the corresponding dimension of the bottom 16 of the panel 2. This, of course, affords the necessary clearance to alow movement of the damper panel with respect to the bottom 16 of the panel 2 to open or close the apertures 30 to adjust passage of air therethrough. The damper panel 33 is preferably painted fiat black and may be of thin gauge metal identical in thickness to that of the panel A paper enclosed rockwool pad 36 is supported on and spaced from the panel 2 by means of a wire grid 37. The grid 37 includes wires 38 in the plane of FIG. 3 having V-shape bends 39 therein and wires 40 on top of the wires 38 extending in the plane of FIG. 4 and spot welded or otherwise suitably secured to the wires 38. The grid 37 thus supports the pad 36 a considerable distance above the panel 2 and the damper panel 33 permitting air to flow readily therebetween. The pad 36 extends in the plane of FIG. 3 beneath the flanges 24 and 25 of the T-runners 3 which hold the same in place. However, in the plane of FIG. 4, a considerable clearance is provided between the ends of the pad 36 and the end walls 14 and 15 of the panel 2. This then permits air readily to enter beneath the pad 36 in the direction of the arrows 41 and 42 Air Will then pass from the plenum chamber 7 downwardly about the pads 36 and through the space therebeneath afforded by the grid 37 to be exhausted through the ports and 34 into the rooms 9 and 10. It can now be seen that the amount of air being discharged through the ventilating ceiling can closely be controlled for each panel 2 by the proper positioning of the damper panel 33. It is apparent that air flow can be completely blocked by positioning the damper panel 33 so that the ports 30 in the panel 2 are completely covered. By moving the damper panel slightly, a small portion of each of the ports 30 may be opened permitting air to flow therethrough. The damper panel can be moved even further completely to align the ports 30 and 34 so that maximum air flow is then obtained. Adjustment of the damper panel may readily be accomplished from beneath the ceiling by a tool such as a pencil or a screw driver inserted through the ports 30 causing the damper panel to shift as desired.

With the ventilating ceiling of the present invention, complex controls in the duct work 6 can be avoided in that the amount of air flowing into the rooms 9 and 10 can be regulated simply by adjusting the damper panels in the ceiling panels above such rooms. Moreover, should the partition 8 later be shifted to another location, the damper panels can again be adjusted to balance the flow of air into the partitioned areas. The damper panels can, of course, be controlled so that the desired amount of air is flowing uniformly from the entire ceiling which is exposed to the room. However, by closing the damper panels adjacent the partitions, noise attenuation can substantially be improved.' Other local adjustments can, of course, readily be made. In any event, the ventilating ceiling of the present invention affords the desired balance of the air conditioning system between rooms without requiring the removal of the ceilings or extraneous duct work and controls therein.

Other modes of applying the principle of the invention may be employed, change being made as regards the details described, provided the features stated in any of the following claims or the equivalent of such be employed.

I, therefore, particularly point out and distinctly claim tude of apertures in said damper panel corresponding in size and arrangement to the apertures in each said ceiling panel, and mating ridge guide means in the respective ceiling and damper panels to facilitate movement of said damper panel operative to open and close each aperture in the respective ceiling panel.

2. A ventilating ceiling construction as set forth in claim 1 including a wire grid mounted on said ceiling panel, and a sound absorbing pad mounted on said wire grid and thus spaced from said ceiling panel, said sound absorbing pad being narrower than said panel thereby to facilitate flow of air about said pad and between said pad and panel to be discharged through such apertures.

3. A ventilating ceiling construction as set forth in claim 2 wherein said wire grid includes wires having V- shape bends therein to support and space said pad from said panel.

4. A ventilating ceiling construction comprising a plurality of ceiling panels, a multitude of apertures distributed throughout each panel adapted to pass ventilating air therethrough, a shiftable damper mounted inside each ceiling panel and having a multitude of apertures therein corresponding to the apertures in each said ceiling panel, and mating inverted ridges in the respective ceiling and damper panels to facilitate shifting of said damper panel to open and close each aperture uniformly in the respective ceiling panel.

5. A ventilating ceiling construction comprising a plurality of ceiling panels, a multitude of apertures distributed throughout each panel adapted to pass ventilating air therethrough, and means operative independently for each panel to open or close to the same extent each aperture therein to control the flow of air through the panel, said means including a damper panel mounted inside each ceiling panel and having a multitude of apertures therein corresponding in shape, size and location to the apertures in the respective ceiling panels, and mating inverted V-shape ridges in the respective ceiling panel and damper panel operative to facilitate movement of the damper panel with respect to the ceiling panel thus to open and close each aperture in the respective ceiling panel.

References Cited by the Examiner Moore 98-40 WILLIAM F. ODEA, Primary Examiner.

JOHN F. OCONNOR, EDWARD J. MICHAEL,

Examiners. 

1. A VENTILATING CEILING CONSTRUCTION COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF CEILING PANELS, A MULTIPLE OF APERTURES DISTRIBUTED THROUGHOUT EACH PANEL ADAPTED TO PASS VENTILATING AIR THERETHROUGH, A DAMPER PANEL MOUNTED ON EACH PANEL COMPLETELY COVERING THE APERTURES THEREIN, A MULTITUDE OF APERTURES IN SAID CHAMBER PANEL CORRESPONDING IN SIZE IN ARRANGEMENT TO THE APERTURES IN EACH SAID CEILING PANEL, AND MATING RIDGE GUIDE MEANS IN THE RESPECTIVE CEILING AND DAMPER TO FACILITATE MOVEMENT OF SAID DAMPER AND PANEL OPERATIVE TO OPEN AND CLOSE EACH APERTURE IN THE RESPECTIVE CEILING PANEL. 